Why are US elections always held on the first Tuesday of November?

Have you ever wondered wherefore Election Day successful the United States ever falls connected the archetypal Tuesday of November?

The reply to wherefore this seemingly arbitrary day was chosen tin beryllium explained by the manner of the mean American husbandman successful the 1800s.

States utilized to clasp elections whenever they wanted wrong 34 days earlier the archetypal Wednesday successful December. But since states that voted earlier could sway opinions and impact turnout, Congress stepped successful to standardize the process successful 1845.

Lawmakers had immoderate things to see earlier they chose immoderate aged day to clasp the election. 

At the commencement of the nineteenth century, astir 75 percent of Americans worked connected farms successful agrarian areas acold distant from their polling stations. 

That's a stark opposition to however the country's colonisation is distributed today, with conscionable 14 percent of radical surviving successful agrarian counties.

Since astir Americans lived truthful acold retired of the mode of their voting tract astatine that time, legislators wanted to springiness them astatine slightest a time oregon 2 to question determination and back.

Weekends didn't enactment due to the fact that religion was a supremely important portion of American culture, with astir radical attending religion connected Sundays.

Likewise, Wednesday wasn't perfect due to the fact that it was the marketplace time for farmers, erstwhile they'd question into the nearest municipality to merchantability their produce, nutrient and eggs. 

Tuesday was yet selected arsenic the astir convenient time of the week to clasp elections, and successful 1845, Congress passed a instrumentality declaring the archetypal Tuesday pursuing the archetypal Monday of November to beryllium Election Day.

But wherefore November? Again, lawmakers were catering to the agrarian-dominated labour force.

Spring and aboriginal summertime were planting season, and past successful precocious summertime and aboriginal fall, farmers would beryllium engaged harvesting their crops.

Winter was evidently not a bully clip to clasp elections, arsenic it was overmuch much hard to question successful the acold successful an epoch without cars and well-paved roads.

So November, which fell close aft the autumn harvest, was chosen arsenic the astir optimal clip for Election Day.

Now, 179 years and 44 statesmanlike elections later, voters volition caput to the polls to propulsion the lever for Donald Trump oregon Kamala Harris connected that nonstop aforesaid time successful November that Congress designated. 

Plenty of different changes to American elections were enacted aft 1845, the astir consequential of which came done amendments to the Constitution.

For instance, achromatic men were officially fixed the close to ballot successful 1870 done the 15th Amendment, though Jim Crow laws successful the southbound were notorious for suppressing African American turnout. 

Women would aboriginal triumph the close to formed ballots erstwhile the 19th Amendment was ratified successful 1920. 

And earlier 1913, the mean American elector didn't take their senators. Rather, authorities legislatures picked who would correspond the authorities successful the US Senate.

The 17th Amendment changed this and besides allowed governors to name senators successful lawsuit they dice oregon permission bureau earlier their word is up.